Words About Things

Cars in England tend to be a bit smaller than their American counterparts. I guess this is because we have different types of roads (lots of narrow, twisting country lanes compared to big highways) and probably a different sense of proportion. Everything about America is bigger and and brasher (and it’s probably best I end that sentence there). I consider myself quite English (reserved, up-tight and of the opinion that guns are a Bad Thing) but I really like American cars. No Hummers or SUVs but good old fashioned long square ones with go-faster-stripes and a sense of style.

Modern cars leave me cold, I don’t understand why aerodynamics are considered quite so important, I would rather have a car that is a clearly defined shape than one that looks like a squished diamond. Ideally I would have a Ford Mustang or a Dodge Charger:

Unfortunately I don’t have the necessary spare cash to blow on one of these cars so I’m destined to own sensible second hand cars that are dull but get you falrom A to B. I have found that there are several car rental companies who specialise in classic cars so my dreams of driving one aren’t too far fetched.

No news is good news or to put it another way: good news is not news. Millions of people hire cars without any problem but car rental companies only seem to make the news when there is some kind of dispute. Still disputes do happen so here are some tips on how to avoid them.

1. Make sure everything is organized well in advance. Ring the car rental company before you travel and make sure they are expecting you. If the booking is not longer in their system it is better to know before you arrive.

2. Take photos. Many people do this when renting property and it is worth doing with car and van rental also. Make a note and keep a record of any damage before you leave as well as pointing it out to the person handing over the keys. This prevents any misunderstandings about who caused the damage.

3. Check the cost of extras. To avoid being surprised by hidden extras make sure everything is agreed in advance.

4. If you need to refill the car don’t wait until the last petrol station before the airport. Stopping further afield is often cheaper if not so convenient. Don’t stop to fill up on the motorway as these petrol stations tend to be the most expensive. Don’t leave it up to the car rental company to fill up, this is likely to be the most expensive option.

It’s not very often that you hear good news about fuel prices. The normal trend seems to be price rises even when the oil price goes down. This makes sense I suppose, why pass on the saving to the consumer if they are going to buy fuel anyway? Anyway, back to the good news before this deteriorates into a rant…

Fuel costs in mainland Europe are apparently 12% less this year than last and the cost of hiring a car is also falling. This is good news for tourists looking to keep costs down this summer particularly those visiting Switzerland where unleaded petrol is currently at 91p per litre. Everything else in Switzerland is massively over priced (over £4 for a Cappuccino?!) so if you’re not paid Swiss wages you might want to keep on driving.

The cost of renting a car has also fallen across the continent with Portugal seeing a 21% drop in price and french car hire also coming down in price. One place where driving costs are increasing is Florida where ‘gas’ prices and the week pound are affecting British holidaymakers. I would be surprised if it was anymore expensive than driving here though as petrol prices in the US are still much lower than in the UK.

“This year’s report shows more evidence of price cutting activity to boost tourism in popular European summer holiday resorts. The huge drop in costs in both Portugal and Greece is great news for UK tourists and is another factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing a holiday this year.”
Sarah Munro, Post Office head of travel